UFC Fight Night 25: 5 Fights Jake Ellenberger Should Take Next

Jake Ellenberger is for real!

After a 53 second destruction of Jake Shields, Ellenberger enters the short list of contenders, and may have the best chance of anyone in the division to take out Georges St-Pierre.

It may be a matter of time before ‘The Juggernaut” gets his shot at UFC gold, and it’s time for him to go after another top name at 170, and attempt to add another name to his growing resume.

Here are five fights for Ellenberger to take next:

The Winner of Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck

This fight makes sense, if only because Ellenberger needs to defeat another big name and this fight is only a week away.

If Koscheck wins, Ellenberger gets another former title challenger to try and take out, and a win over Matt Hughes looks impressive in any situation.

The only problem with this one is that Ellenberger might need another win to earn a title shot even if he beats one of these two, which seems a little unfair due to the nature of this win.

Jon Fitch

The consensus No. 2 welterweight in the world, Fitch has done nothing but win during his UFC career, but his inability to finish has made his road to a second title shot a lot harder than it should be.

Anyone who beats Fitch would end up at the top of the division, and Ellenberger matches up very well with the AKA team member—which makes him an attractive option for Joe Silva.

Nick Diaz

Diaz is currently set to fight BJ Penn at UFC 137 but, win or lose, he may have an extremely hard time getting another shot at the title after his screw up earlier this month.

On the feet, Diaz lacks the power that could put Jake away, and on the mat Ellenberger has shown that he has the ability to escape some serious submissions.

It’s a bad matchup for Diaz, but it would be a huge win for ‘The Juggernaut”.

BJ Penn

Much like Nick Diaz, it seems unlikely that Penn would get a third shot at GSP if he wins at UFC 137.

A fight with Penn would make Ellenberger instantly credible, and the fight itself would be extremely entertaining.

It would be an interesting fight no matter where it took place, and a win would give Ellenberger a free shot at the champion.

Georges St-Pierre

Truth be told, there really isn’t anyone else for GSP to fight at this point.

If he takes out Carlos Condit, he’ll be left with either Ellenberger or the winner of Diaz vs. Penn and, as I said earlier, the UFC may not want to give either of those guys a shot at the belt.

Stylistically, Ellenberger could be a nightmare for GSP (as fellow B/R writer Mitch Ciccarelli pointed out), and he has certainly looked impressive enough in his last few fights to at least get a long look from Joe Silva and company.